For the First Time in Its History, Mayor Invites ‘Nonbelievers’ to Interfaith Breakfast
Cites ‘Diversity’ of New York’s Population, Calls for Tolerance
New York (Dec.31,2009)—For the first time in its history, New York City’s Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg invited a group of Atheists to attend his annual Interfaith Breakfast, held on the day before the New Year.
In his opening statements, the Mayor recognized the new group in attendance, saying “I also want to welcome for the first time those who don’t profess a faith but who do love our city.”
He went on, in apparently off-the cuff remarks, to cite the diversity of philosophies in the City, saying that New Yorkers should have tolerance for all sorts of viewpoints because the City is a vast mixture of ethnicities, religious beliefs and views.
Sitting together at a table among the hundreds of representatives from various religious groups at the Interfaith Breakfast in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library this morning were six representatives of the New York City Atheists, Inc. (NYCA), who had been formally invited by the Mayor’s Commissioner of Community Affairs, Nazli Parvizi.
Congrats to NYC Atheists! Wish I could’ve been there too. I guess Mayor Bloomberg deserves some kudos. Just getting invited is a major step.
“…a potential sleeping giant, waiting to flex it’s political muscle…”
This is a very progressive move, and I applaud it.
According to Pew Research, those who check their religion as “none” has doubled in the last decade to 16% of the US population and is expected to reach 25% by 2030. Only Catholics are a larger “faith” group than us. Its about time that we flex some political muscle and be recognised for the powerful force that we are.
Agreed. Another march on Washington DC is in order, in my humble opinion. With more Freethought groups in existence now than ever before, and group cooperation at an all time high, that would be a big march.
We could spend a bit longer this time, talking about Islam and the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. And celebrating Wayne Bent’s and Tony Alamo’s convictions. I’m sure that by then, Abu Nidal Hassan’s conviction will probably be in the bag as well.
Snarky coverage here:
Atheists Celebrate First-Ever Invite to Mayor’s Interfaith Breakfast
By Roy Edroso in Citystate, Featured, Religion
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2010/01/atheists_celebr.php
Ken Bronstein was excited to notify us of a great coup: six members of his organization, the New York City Atheists, attended Mayor Bloomberg’s annual Interfaith Breakfast this weekend. It’s believed to be the first time nonbelievers have been invited, as nonbelievers, to the event.
We asked Bronstein why atheists would even want to attend an Interfaith Breakfast, seeing as they don’t, in point of fact, have faith.
“Oh, we have faith,” Bronstein told us. “Just not in God.”
A spokesman from the Mayor’s office confirmed that the Mayor had invited the guests as members of NYC Atheists, and “in his remarks did certainly welcome those who, while not professing a particular faith, do love the city, recognizing the importance of working together for the common good of the people of New York City.”
The Breakfast’s more famous guests included Vada Vasquez, the teenager shot in the head last month and miraculously recovering from it.
Bronstein finds the invitation, like the mention President Obama made of nonbelievers in his Inaugural Address, a sign of a “dramatic shift” in attitudes toward unchurched Americans.
“When I first got involved with NYC Atheists five years ago,” he said, “we had to put all our newsletters in envelopes, because most of our [regular-mail] subscribers didn’t want peoiple to know they were getting mail from us. I don’t have to do that anymore.”
We were disappointed to learn that the atheists sat quietly at the breakfast at the New York Public Library, and did not give invocations, as representatives of God-based faiths did. “Maybe next year,” says Bronstein.